] Argand's Lamp. 143 



vapour,, which the heat extracts from the candle, cocncs 

 in contact with the burning body, and accenfion takes 

 place* It fometimes indeed may happen, that the 

 lamp or candle may be lighted by holding it above 

 the ignited bar ; but it is obvious, in that cafe, that a. 

 quantity of the oil or tallow firlt drops on the burn- 

 ing body, and is then converted into vapour and 

 flame, fo that at the time of the accenfion taking 

 place, the wick is actually furroundcd with flame, 

 above as well as below. 



To remedy the immenfe wafte of oil, which, ac- 

 cording to the common 'conftruction of lamps, was 

 difpofcd of, unconfumed, in the form of fmoke anc} 

 foot, was the great object of that very ingenious in- 

 vention, the patent lamp of M. Argand. I recollect, 

 ibme years previous to M. Argand's invention, I turn- 

 ed my attention to the procuring of a vivid flame, 

 without a wafte of oil, or the offenfivenefs of fmoke. 

 I obferved that, the fmaller the wick of a lamp, the 

 brighter in general was the flame, and for this plain 

 reafbn, that in thefe cafes a greater furface than ufual, 

 proportionably to the quantity of vapour, was expofed 

 to the air. My fcherne was, therefore, to procure a 

 lamp with a number of very fmall wicks, between each 

 of which there was to have been an orifice or chim- 

 ney, which might introduce a current of air, and keep 

 the flajne proceeding from each wick diftinct. M-. 

 Argand's, I muft confefs, is a great improvement upon 

 this idea. By means of a thin circular wick, through 

 the middle of which a current of air is introduced by 

 a funnel, he produces a very thin flame, and confe- 

 quently e'xpofes a very large furface of the oily va- 

 pour to the contact of the air. As there is, however, 

 a ftrong attraction between the particles of fire, there 

 would be danger of the flame uniting from all the fides 

 of the lamp, at a certain height above the funnel, and 



fc 



